Inseam trimming machines



-Juni March 14, 1961y 2,974,333

H. A. IMHOF ET AL INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINES Filed March 14, 1958 4Sheets-Sheet 1 i hors Herman A. Imhof Joseph C. Cantley By theirAttorney March 14, 1961 H. A. IMHoF ErAL INsEAM TRIMMING MACHINES 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 14, 1958 March 14, 1961 H. A. lMHoF ETAL2,974,333

INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINES Filed March 14, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 14,1961 H. A. IMHoF Erm. l 2,974,333

INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINES Filed March 14, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FORCECOMPONENT TENDING TO TURN SHOE FORCE COMPONENT INSEAM TRn/IMING MACHINESFiled Mar. 14, 1958, Ser. No. 721,586

Claims. (Cl. 12-4.4)

This invention relates to shoe machinery and more particularly tomachines for trimming the inseams of partially fabricated welt shoes. Anobject of the invention is to provide an inseam trimming machine whereinthe parts are so arranged as to eliminate or reduce the tendeney of ashoe to twist in the hands of an operator during the trimming operation.

It has been found that the common undesirable tendency of a shoe totwist in the hands of an operator during inseam trimming is attributableto a component of the feeding force imparted by the inclined feed wheelacting normal to the direction of feed and toward the operator.

A force opposing the twisting component is the force applied by thecutter, be it either a conventional cupshaped knife or the newer typerotary chopper cutter, as it makes its cut in a direction normal to thedirection of feed but away from the operator. This force is employed, inaccordance with a feature of the invention, to oppose or counteract theundesirable twisting force by positioning its fulcrum so as toy producean opposing torque. Since its fulcrum is the pivot edge of the weltcrease guide, by spacing the axis of the welt crease guide from the axisof the feed wheel, measured in the direction of feed, or by positioningthe cutter in advance of the welt crease guide, the desiredcounteracting torque may be obtained Without changing the operatingcharacteristics of the machine or by adding an additional structure toimpair vision or accessibility.

The above and other features of the invention, including various detailsof construction and novel combinations of parts, will best be understoodfrom a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, on a reduced scale of thehead of an inseam trimming machine embodying the principles of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the portion of themachine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section of a welted shoe taken on its widest part duringinseam trimming and showing the feeding and trimming instrumentalitiesof the machine;

Fig. 3a is a section of a welted shoe taken at its widest part prior toinseam trimming illustrating the condition known as strapping;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the trimming cutterand including a shoe being trimmed;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatical plan view of the feeding and trimming forcesacting on a shoe while it is being trimmed;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the feeding and trimming in-v tes Patent O "icestrumentalities of the machine including a shoe being fed and trimmed;and v Fig. 7 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale of a portion ofthe feeding instrumentalities shown in Fig. 6.

The construction of the inseam of the usual welted shoe is illustratedin Figs. 3, 3a and 6. Fig. 6 represents the bottom of a partiallyfabricated shoe on a last as trimming takes place, the inseam extendingupward away from the insole. Figs. 3 and 3a show sections through theshoe and last taken at the ball line, i.e. at the widest part of theshoe, Fig. 3a before trimming and Fig. 3 during trimming. The followingelements are included: a last 2, an insole 4, a welt 6, a preformedinsole rib 8, a lining 10, an upper leather 12, and a line of stitches14 that form the actual inseam joint. To sever the excess portion of thesewn inseam extending above the stitch line, the shoe being held bottomupward, there is provided a rotary trimming cutter 20 which is ofmulti-blade construction and will be described in more detailhereinafter. The cutter is mounted for rotation by a substantiallyhorizontal shaft 22 (Fig. 4) journaled in bearings 24 and 26 and isdriven by a motor, not shown, through a belt 28 passing around a pulley30 fixed to the cutter shaft 22.

Cooperating with the rotary cutter 20 to feed and trim the shoe are adriven feed wheel 34 (Fig. 3), which is also a rotary shearing member, awelt crease guide 36 and a rib guide 38 in addition to a depth gage 40all mounted adjacent the lower edge or cutting point of the rotarycutter 20. The welt crease guide 36 is shaped and mounted on the machineto enter the crease between the grain side or the upper engaging surfaceof the welt 6 and the upper leather 12 to press the welt against thefeed Wheel 34 yand also to restrict lateral movement of the shoeinwardly of the machine, ie., to the right as seen in Fig. 3. The feedwheel 34 has a conical periphery provided with radial ridges 42engageable with the ilesh side or outsole attaching surface of the weltopposite the Welt crease guide. Formed on each of the ridges 42 is aprojection or tooth 44 the function of whichv will be described in moredetail hereinafter. The rib guide 38 is engageable with the innersurface of the insole rib 8 and with the bottom of the insole 4 in thechannel area. Also contacting the bottom of the insole is the depth gage40. The above-mentioned elements comprising the trimming and feedingmechanism will be described in more detail hereinafter and theircooperation explained more fully.

The rib guide 38 and its supporting mechanism will now be described withparticular reference to Figs. 1 and 3. The guide is herein shown as aninverted frustum of a cone having its apex rounded, although it may beof other conventional design. It is mounted on a bracket 46 which issecured for heightwise adjustment by a slot and screw connection 48 on apivotal bracket 50. The depth gage 40 is also mounted by slot and screwconnections 52 for heightwise adjustment on `the bracket 50. The bracket50 is pivotally mounted on a fulerum stud 54 in a forked bracket 56iixed to the machine frame 58. Also pivoted on the fulcrum stud 54 is alever extension 60. Passing through the upper end 62 (Fig. 2) of thebracket 50 and the lever extension 60 is a spring-biased pin 64 which,when in the position shown in Fig. 2, locks the bracket 50 and the leverextension 60 together lso that they may -pivot as a unit about thefulcrum stud 54. When the spring-biased pin 64 is withdrawn from theupper portion 62 of the bracket 50, the bracket, and consequently therib guide 38 and the depth gage 40, may be pivoted upwardly, independentof the lever extension 60, to the left in a counterclockwise direction,as viewed in Fig. 1, to gain access to the trimming cutter and to theother trimming and feeding instrumentalities.

The welt crease guide 36, best seen in Fig. 3, comprises an idler wheelshaped to enter the crease between the grain side or upper engagingsurface of thewelt and the upper of the shoe. rlhe wheel is mounted forrotation about an axis A on a stud 66 by means of ball bearings 68. 'Ihestud 66 is xed in a projection 70 on a collar 72 loosely surrounding abearing sleeve in which is jonrnaled a shaft 74 which mounts the feedwheel 34 for rotation about an axis B. r[he lower end of the collar 72engages a forked bracket 76 (Fig. 1) having arms 78 which pass one oneach side of the shaft 74. Extending outwardly from the collar 72 andbetween the arms 78 are a pair of parallel plates 80. A block 82 tsbetween the plates 80 inwardly of the arms 78. A shaft 84 pivoted in thearms 78 passes loosely through the block 82. The bracket 76 is securedby screws 86 to a bifurcated bell crank 88 which is pivotally mounted onthe main drive shaft 90 of the machine. A worm 92 -is keyed to the shaft90 between the arms of the bell crank 88 the function of which willappear hereinafter. When the bracket 76 is pivoted about the shaft 90,by means now to be described, the shaft 84 will move in an arcuate pathand the collar 72 will move along the axis B of the shaft 74. There willat this time be relative sliding movement between the block 82 and theplates 80 and pivotal movement relative to the arms 78 of the bracket76. rIhe bell crank 88 includes an arm 94 which extends upwardly and isurged to the right or in a clockwise direction about the shaft 90, asviewed in Fig. l, by a spring 96 which is stretched between a pin 98 onthe zum 94 and an eye bolt 100 adjustably secured in the machine frame58. Clockwise movement of the arm 94 and consequently of the bell crank88 is limited by a stop screw 102 also adjustably threaded in themachine frame 58. By this mechanism the welt crease guide 36 is urgedupwardly along the axis of the shaft '74 toward the feed wheel 34 topress the welt against the feed wheel whereby the welt is grippedbetween them. The uppermost position of the welt crease guide isdetermined by the position of the adjustable stop screw 102.

To release the welt crease guide 36 from its gripping position after ashoe is trimmed and in order to insert another shoe, the operatordepresses a treadle 104 (Fig. 1) which lis connected to ya treadle rod106 extending vertically through the frame ofthe machine. The upper endof the treadle rod 106 is pivot-ally attached to a lever 108 theopposite end of which is secured by a set screw 110 to a shaft 112journaled in a fulcrum block 114 fixed to the upper portion of themachine frame 58. Fixed to and extending downwardly from the shaft 112is a lever 116 having a roller 118 journaled in its lower end. Alsofixed to but extending upwardly from the shaft 112 is a second lever 120having a forked upper end 121. Passing through the fork of the lever 120is a rod 122, the opposite end of which is pivotally journaled in a pairof forked arms 124 formed at the upper end of the lever extension 60. Aspring 126 is compressed between a plate 128 on the rod 122 and anabutment 130 secured to the fulcrum block 114. The compressive force ofthe spring 126 is adjusted by a nut 129 on the rod 122. To insert a shoein the machine an operator depresses the treadle 104 which through theabove-mentioned mechanism pulls the rod 122 to the right, as seen inFig. 1, against the force of the spring 126 causing the lever extension60 and the bracket 50 to pivot in a clockwise direction about thefulcrum stud S4 thereby causing the rib guide 38 and the depth gage 40to move in a clockwise direction away from the feed wheel 34. Continueddownward movement of the treadle 104 causes the lever 116 to pivot thelever 94 in a counterclockwise direction about the main shaft therebydrawing the collar 72 and consequently the welt crease guide 36downwardly away from the feed wheel 34 whereby the welt of the shoe maybe placed between the feed wheel and welt crease guide as seen in Fig.3.

Release of the treadle 104 permits the springs 126 and 96 to move therib guide 38 and the welt crease guide 36, respectively, into thepositions shown in Fig. 3. It will be noted that variations in thethickness of the upstanding rib will cause movements of the rib guide 38toward and away from the feed wheel 34 as the shoe is being trimmed.However, the lever 94 being normally spaced from the roller 118 on thelever 116 by the adjusting screw 102, these movements will not betransmitted to the welt crease guide and it will at all times maintainits upward pressing action against the welt.

The cutter 20, seen best in Figs. 3 and 4, comprises a plurality of arms130 in the ends of which are clamped cutting bits 132 of carboloy orsimilar material. These I bits cooperate with, although they do nottouch, the upper periphery 134 of the dished feed wheel 34 to sever thesurplus inseam material. As will be seen in Figs. 5 and 6, the face E ofthe cutter 20 lies in the same plane as the axis of rotation B of thefeed wheel 34 and therefore passes above the lowest point of theperiphery 134 (Fig. 3) of the feed wheel. In order that the bottom edgesof the cutter bits 132, which are about one-fourth inch wide, clear theupper periphery 134 of the feed wheel 34 by a substantially uniformamount along their width they are positioned in the arms 130 in offsetrelationship, as seen in Fig. 6, i.e. with their bottom edges inclinedslightly upwardly to the left. Were the face E positioned to the rightof the lowest point of the feed wheel 34, the bits would be inclined inthe opposite direction. Secured to a portion 136 o'f the machine frameclosely adjacent to but not touching the cutter, is -a block 138. Thisblock presents an effective barrier to chips adhering to the face of therotating cutter which would otherwise be carried by the cutter backtoward the work piece. Surrounding the cutter 20 and the barrier block138 is a housing 140 (Fig. 1) and connected thereto is a conduit 142through which chips are drawn by an exhaust fan or other yappropriatemechanism.

'Ihe mechanism for imparting welt beating motion to the feed wheel 34will now be described. The shaft 74 (Fig. 1) which mounts the feed wheelextends downwardly passing between the arms 78 of thelever 76, through apair `of bosses 144, 146 on the machine frame and nally terminating in athrust bearing 148. A pair of brackets 150, \152 (Fig. 2) projectdownwardly from the thrust bearing 148 and receive between them on awrist pin 154, the upper end of a driven crank 156. 'Ihe crank is drivenby an eccentric 158 (Fig. 2) connected to the crank by a bearing 160.The eccentric is mounted on a shaft 162 which rotates in bearings 164,166 and 168 in the lower part of the machine frame. The shaft receivesits power from the main drive shaft 90 through a belt and pulleys 172and 174. The main shaft 90 receives rotary power from a motor drivenbelt 176 and a pulley I178.

Surrounding the shaft 74 and mounted between the bosses "144 and 146 isa worm gear 180 which is driven by the above-mentioned worm 92. The wormgear is constrained from moving axially of the shaft 74 by its hub 182which engages the boss 144 and a bearing 184 which spaces it from theboss 146. The hub 182 is connected by keys 186, 188 to the shaft 74 toimpart rotary driving motion to the feed wheel 34 but the`keyways in thehub are of greater length than the keys permitting the shaft 74 to moveaxially relative to the hub as it is being driven.

Thus, as the welt of the shoe is gripped between the drivenffeed wheel34 and the welt crease guide 36 to feed the shoe past the cutter 20, theabove described eccentrically driven mechanism causes it to becontinuously pounded at low amplitude and high frequency by the feedwheel 34 against the welt crease guide 36 as an anvil while the ridges`42 and the spurs 44 tend, not only to provide a positive grippingaction to feed` the shoe, but also assist in counteracting strapping,which is the tendency of the welt to bend toward the upper, as shown inbroken lines in Fig. 3a, by indenting the welt to relieve thetroublesome stresses. Because the cutting bits 132 of the cutter 20 aredesigned to operate without touching the edge 134, a minimum gap of afew thousandths yof an inch being maintained and because of the highspeed of rotation of the cutter, the movement of the edge 134 of thefeed wheel 34 toward and away from the cutter bits does not impair thetrimming action as might be the case if it were required that the bitsmaintain metal-to-metal contact with the edge 134.

While, by strict definition, a shearing action does not 'take placebetween the bits 132 and the edge 134 because there is no metal-to-metalcontact, the gap between them is so small that the action on the stockor work is tantamount to shearing. In any event, however, the members132 and 134 cooperate to produce the cut.

Because the feed wheel 34 is inclined on an axis forming an angle withthe horizontal, rather than, for example, a cylinder rotating in ahorizontal axis, the locus of a point on its periphery is not a straightline when viewed from above but rather a closed, generally ellipticalcurve as can plainly be seen in Figs. 5 and 6 which are plan views ofthe feed wheel. The projections 44 and the ribs 42 of the feed wheel 34engage the welt 6 of the shoe lover a substantial area indicated in Fig.7 as extending from C to D. A combination of these factors results in aforce' applied to the `shoe in the direction as shown in the diagram ofFig. 5. This force may be resolved into two components, one being theforce normal to the face E of the cutter and a second, parallel to theface E of the cutter. The normal force tends to feed the shoe and theparallel force tends to turn the shoe. The fulcrum of the turning forceis the lowest point of the feed wheel 34 which, as seen in Fig. 5, is inalignment with the axis B. A second or left hand component, less severe,but also tending to turn the shoe in a clockwise direction occurs as thevfeed wheel grad- 1 ually relinquishes its grip von the welt. The reasonthe second turning component is less than the first is because the spurs44 are no longer biting into the welt and forming elongated indentations441, |but rather )are being withdrawn from those indentations.Nevertheless, the turning components are cumulative and in aclockwise'direction. While this turning of the shoe often assists infeeding the shoe around curves it just as frequently opposes it and anoperators job is made all the more difficult thereby.

Also acting on the shoe is the cutting force imparted by the cutter asits bits chop into the inseam substance, or by the conventionalcup-shaped rotary knife slicing across the inseam. (Note that the cutterrotates in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3.) To takeadvantage of this force to counteract tfhe turning tendency, theposition of the fulcrum of this force was selected so as to result in -aturning moment counterclockwise as viewed in Figs. 5 and 6. The fulcrumis the outermost point of the welt crease guide, i.e. point F in Fig. 3,or the point against which the shoe is normally pivoted during trimming.Point F is in vertical alignment with the axis of rotation A of the weltcrease guide. Therefore, the machine is constructed with the axis A -tothe left of the axis B of the feed wheel or beyond the axis B whenmeasured in the direction of feed which is from right to left. As seenIin the drawings, the axes A and B lie in parallel spaced planes withthe face E of the cutter lying in the same plane as does the axis B.

Similarly, the same results may beobtained by-advancing the cutter tothe right of the point F Without changing the positions of the axes Aand B, for example, as in conventional inseam trimmers wherethe axes Aand B and the point F all lie in the same vertical plane. i While the`lever arm of the cutting force about its fulcrum F is less than thelever arm of either of the turning components, its magnitude isconsiderablyV greater resulting in a torque yielding substantialequilibrium. This permits the operator to control the rotative movementsof the shoe more accurately than when the axes A and B occupy the samevertical plane as in conventional inseam trimmers. 1 v v Having thusdescribed our invention, what We claim as new and `desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is: K

1. In an inseam trimming machine the combination with a feed memberconstructed and arranged to engage the outer portion of the inseamsubstance and a work supporting member constructed and arranged toengage the upper attaching surface of the welt, a rotary cuttercomprising a plurality of chopping blades constructed and arranged tocooperate with an edge formed on the feed member to trim the inseam,means for rotating the cutter in a counterclockwise direction measuredin the direction of feed, the work supporting member cooperating withthe feed member to grip the welt between them, said supporting memberbeing located at a point displaced from the point of cut measured in thedirection of feed whereby said chopping blades impart a torque to saidshoe about said displaced point as a fulcrum.

2. An inseam trimming machine having, in combination, trimming meanscomprising a rotatable cutter, the normal operation of said cutterimparting a force to said shoe, feeding means located adjacent saidtrimming means and including a rotatable welt crease guide constructedand arranged to enter the crease between the upper and the welt of apartially fabricated welt shoe, means for rotating the cutter in acounterclockwise direction measured in the direction of feed, the axisof rotation of said welt crease guide being spaced from the direction ofsaid cutter force measured in the direction of feed of the shoe wherebythe cutter force imparts a torque to said shoe about said crease guidein a counterclockwise direction measured downwardly.

3. An inseam trimming machine having, in combination, trimming meanscomprising a rotatable cutter, the normal operation of said cutterimparting a force to said shoe, feeding means located adjacent saidtrimming means and comprising a rotatable welt crease guide constructedand arranged to enter the crease between the upper and the welt of apartially fabricated welt shoe, a rotatable feed wheel engageable withthe outlying margin of the welt on the side opposite the Welt creaseguide, means for rotating the'cutter in a counterclock- Wise directionmeasured in the direction of feed, the axis of rotation of saidrotatable feed wheel and the direction of'said cutter force projected tointersect said axis defining a plane, the axis of rotation of saidcrease guide being parallel to and spaced from said plane measuredopposite to the direction of feed whereby the cutter force imparts atorque to said shoe about said crease guide in a counterclockwisedirection measured downwardly.

4. An inseam trimming machine having, in combina-l tion, trimming meanscomprising a rotatable cutter, feeding means located adjacent saidtrimming means and comprising a rotatable welt crease guide constructedand arranged to enter the crease between the upper and welt of lapartially fabricated welt shoe, and a feed wheel having a conicalsurface rotatable about a fixed axis and arranged to engage the uppereattaching surface of the welt, means for rotating the cutter in acutting plane and in a counterciockwise direction measured in thedirection of feed, the axis of rotation of the Welt crease guide beingparallel with and spaced from said cutting plane.

5. An inseam trimming machine having, in combination, trimming meanscomprising a rotatable cutter, feeding means located adjacent saidtrimming means and comprising a rotatable welt crease guide constructedand arranged to enter the crease between the upper and welt of apartially fabricated welt shoe, and a feed wheel having a conicalsurface rotatable about a fixed axis and arranged to engage the upperattaching surface of the welt, means for rotating the cutter in acounterclockwise direction measured in the direction of feed, the axisof rotation of the welt crease guide being spaced from the axis ofrotation of the rotatable feed wheel measured in the direction of feedof the shoe.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSGermany Nov. 12, 1912 i... ma

